ESPN removes anonymous source quote from Chris Broussard’s LeBron James post

ESPN’s Chris Broussard wrote an article this morning saying that LeBron James’ indecision is in part because of that scathing letter from Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert. An issue that J.A. Adande covered wonderfully in a column earlier this week.

“LeBron produced the sharpest and most noteworthy criticism of Clippers owner Donald Sterling after TMZ made Sterling’s racially offensive diatribes public, saying ‘it’s unacceptable in our league,'” Adande wrote. “No one has accused Gilbert of holding the same misguided racial perceptions as Sterling. With Gilbert, it’s about the personal attacks on LeBron’s character, and his diametrically opposed views on the business of the NBA.”

Adande added: “A return to the Cavaliers by James would be a tacit endorsement of all he rejected. It wouldn’t represent just a swallowing of his own pride — it would be a surrender in the battle for self-determination for NBA players.”

In Broussard’s article, he quote an anonymous league exec essentially saying what Adande had so eloquently in his post.

"“He condemned Sterling but he’s going back to the [expletive] who nearly called him an uppity [expletive],” one league executive said. “Hypocrite.”"

It led NBA reporter Chris Sheridan to call out Broussard.

Well since then, ESPN has since removed the anonymous quote.

Broussard hasn’t commented on it, but said this:

Maybe Broussard feels like the quote wasn’t necessary to establish the point and changed it on his own and without ESPN pressure. That could be what Broussard’s tweet is in reference to, of course it could just be a random 140-character though.